Conventionally, a plurality of showcases having respective display rooms therein are placed side by side in shops such as supermarkets and used for display and sale of foods and other goods. In general, in the case where several showcases are arranged side by side, side plates are not used at the adjacent ends of the adjacent showcases and the adjacent ends are directly brought into abutment against each other at the installation site, so that the display rooms in the showcases communicate with each other and constitute a single continuous display room, in order to provide feeling of unity of the display of goods in the respective display rooms (Refer to Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 5-305019, for example).
Now, referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, the connection structure of a conventional showcase is explained. A heat insulating wall 100 constituting a body of the showcase is formed in a substantially falling U-shape in cross section, with a front opening, a lower front wall 101 of the heat insulating wall has a lower retreating section 102, and the lower end of the retreating section 102 continues to the front end of a bottom wall 103 of the heat insulation wall 100. A connecting member 105, which has a substantially L-shape in cross section, is fixed to the retreating section 102 and is brought into abutment against the connecting member 105 mounted on another showcase adjacently installed, these connecting members 105 being mutually connected together by inserting bolts through the connecting members 105 and screwing nuts on the bolts.
In addition, bumpers 106 are provided at the fronts of these retreating sections 102 in order to protect the showcases from collision of carts or the like used in the shop. To connect the bumpers 106 at the connection section of the adjacent showcases, a bumper connecting member 107, which has a substantially falling U-shape in cross section, with a front surface extending substantially perpendicularly, is mounted on the front of the retreating section 102. The bumpers 106 are mounted on the showcases with their ends put together, and a bumper connection cover 108 is applied to the front of the connection section of these bumpers 106. The bumper connection cover 108 is fixed to the bumper connection member 107 with screws. Thus, the connection section of the bumpers 106 is covered with the bumper connection cover 108.
In addition a handrail 110 is provided longitudinally at the top of the lower front wall 101 of the heat insulating wall 100. At the connection section of the adjacent showcases, a handrail connection cover 111 is mounted to cover these handrails 110.
Because the connecting member 105 as described above is mounted on the retreating section 102 which is a recessed section of the lower part of the front wall 101, it has been difficult to connect it with another connecting member 105. In addition, because these connecting members 105 are brought into abutment against each other and fixed with bolts and nuts, it has been necessary to perform operations in such a manner that the showcases are arranged so that the front walls of the heat insulating walls 100 become flush with each other in advance and then to bring the connecting members 105 and 105 into abutment against each other.
However, since the showcases are large by themselves, it has been difficult to finely align large showcases, and it has been actually difficult to set the connecting members 105 of the showcases exactly flush with each other. In the case where other showcases are laid out on both ends of a showcase, in particular, alignment is required at both ends and it is quite difficult to set the front walls of all showcases flush with each other.
Therefore, the showcases are connected using connecting members 105 screwed by bolts and nuts, with buffering some errors. At the surfaces where the showcases are put together or the section where the bumpers or handrails are put together, some gap may be generated. It is thus necessary to conceal such gap, and the bumper connection cover 108 and the handrail connection cover 111 are provided.
However, existence of the bumper connection cover 108 and the handrail connection cover 111 hampers feeling of unity of the showcases laid out adjacently, and they are not preferable from the viewpoint of appearance. Since the handrail connection cover 111, in particular, is formed so that it protrudes above the handrail 110, dust or other wastes are easily deposited on the handrail connection cover 111, and it is difficult to clean there, so there is a problem from the viewpoint of hygiene. Furthermore, because such covers easily catch the customers' or workers' cuff or the like, it is requested from the market to remove these connection covers.
The present invention has been made to solve the conventional technical problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a showcase which can improve the connection workability for adjacent showcases and is provided with a connection device enabling improvement of the appearance.